[ Trying to save him and getting slapped for it immediately stops him in his tracks. They never spoke of what happened that day. They hardly spoke of anything these days. A combination of his fear of overstepping boundaries that were only hinted at but never set, and Allen's natural tendency to be vague with his words, lead to a rapid decline in open communication that was substituted by physical communication which Shouto accepted for too long. Only recently had he started to push back against it, but by now, habits had been set and it was difficult to break from them.
The instant he sees that same panicked look his mother gave him when she poured boiling water on him, Shouto steps back, clamming up immediately. If it wasn't for the figure in the woods, that scene would have played out very differently. Instead, training takes over and he goes into hero mode, pushing down his personal feelings to react to the situation at hand.
When they're riding above the canopy, Shouto sets Allen ahead of him making sure not to touch him for more than a second to steady him like he would with any civilian. He needs directions so that's what the focuses on, ignoring everything else that makes no sense to him. ]
I don't know what you mean.
[ He answers in a collected tone he would use for any civilian. Project a calm front to keep them calm, while you get them out of danger, Aizawa had taught them, and Shouto was always at the top of his class. He wasn't like Midoriya or Uraraka who could project a gentle demeanor to put people at ease but the outcome was the same, at least on a surface level. Ignoring his failings, he does what he always does, discarding what doesn't make sense from Allen's answer and focusing on what does. ]
What never happens?
[ He keeps propagating more ice hoping that the distance he put between them and the Exorcist is enough to figure out what Allen is trying to tell him when shadows form in an instant beside him, and a feathered limb like the one that tried to devour Allen tries to grab him by the neck. Shouto reacts on instinct, blasting it with fire while the ice instantly curves down around the thickest tree maneuvering past the branches before devolving into tight concentric circles to eat up their momentum as they plunge down to the forest floor. Landing in a blastwave of ice absorbs the rest of their momentum that sends them crashing to the floor.
Shouto has his arms around Allen the whole time, keeping a tight grip on him, in case the feathers come for him again. He takes a moment to reorient himself. ]
What's their quirk?
[ He urges between breathes that push out the cold freeze building up in his lungs. He takes no more than a few seconds to rest before he forces himself back to his feet, mismatched eyes still glued to the trees, ready to react to another attack. ]
no subject
The instant he sees that same panicked look his mother gave him when she poured boiling water on him, Shouto steps back, clamming up immediately. If it wasn't for the figure in the woods, that scene would have played out very differently. Instead, training takes over and he goes into hero mode, pushing down his personal feelings to react to the situation at hand.
When they're riding above the canopy, Shouto sets Allen ahead of him making sure not to touch him for more than a second to steady him like he would with any civilian. He needs directions so that's what the focuses on, ignoring everything else that makes no sense to him. ]
I don't know what you mean.
[ He answers in a collected tone he would use for any civilian. Project a calm front to keep them calm, while you get them out of danger, Aizawa had taught them, and Shouto was always at the top of his class. He wasn't like Midoriya or Uraraka who could project a gentle demeanor to put people at ease but the outcome was the same, at least on a surface level. Ignoring his failings, he does what he always does, discarding what doesn't make sense from Allen's answer and focusing on what does. ]
What never happens?
[ He keeps propagating more ice hoping that the distance he put between them and the Exorcist is enough to figure out what Allen is trying to tell him when shadows form in an instant beside him, and a feathered limb like the one that tried to devour Allen tries to grab him by the neck. Shouto reacts on instinct, blasting it with fire while the ice instantly curves down around the thickest tree maneuvering past the branches before devolving into tight concentric circles to eat up their momentum as they plunge down to the forest floor. Landing in a blastwave of ice absorbs the rest of their momentum that sends them crashing to the floor.
Shouto has his arms around Allen the whole time, keeping a tight grip on him, in case the feathers come for him again. He takes a moment to reorient himself. ]
What's their quirk?
[ He urges between breathes that push out the cold freeze building up in his lungs. He takes no more than a few seconds to rest before he forces himself back to his feet, mismatched eyes still glued to the trees, ready to react to another attack. ]